Sunday, December 23, 2012

Christmas jumper of the week

I love a good designer/high-street street collaboration and I've been to enough to know this was a good one. With over 100 items of Maison Martin Margiela's back catalogue on offer, what better way to get your hands on a piece of iconic design at a fraction of its normal price?

I did wonder if owners of the original designs would be annoyed that the pieces they own are now so widely – and cheaply – available. Or if they loved them so much, they were glad for the chance to stock up on a second.

However, I decided I wasn't going to shop this collaboration. I simply didn't love anything enough to queue for the 8am launch. And, while I appreciate Maison Martin Margiela's conceptual designs, I had to ask myself how well these avant-garde pieces would work in my wardrobe.

But then I saw a fashion editor's tweet with this men's Fair Isle sweater and my heart started racing. I'd dismissed the womenswear as not for me, but I'd hardly given the menswear a second glance. I. Wanted. This. Sweater.

When my friend Andrew came back to the office with a Maison Martin Margiela shopping bag after a late lunch, he got the full inquisition.

Yes, you could walk straight into the store and shop the collection now.
Yes, there was plenty of menswear left.
And yes, including that jumper.

I hotfooted it down there at the speed of light and gleefully grabbed the one and only XS on the rail. It was meant to be!

I like that each piece of this collaboration comes with a tag explaining which collection the original design appeared. My Re-assembled Fair Isle sweater? From autumn/winter 2004/2005.

Back home, my husband the Stickman took a liking to said jumper. He slipped it on and it fitted. On me, I was swamped. So, that was it – my Christmas shopping had started!

If you were wishing you'd snapped up a piece of Maison Martin Margiela with H&M and had missed out, think again. There's a few items online in the H&M sale. I got the chunky knit Dolly cardigan when it was reduced from £59.99 to £30. Now it's just £20.

There are other items in the sale, including menswear. However, they're no longer listed under Maison Martin Margiela so you'll have to scour through the sale items to find them. The big reductions should make it worth your while, though, so happy hunting!